Psychoanalytic Therapists in Mill Valley, CA

For over 33 years I have been blessed to work with individuals and couples who put their trust in me to facilitate their own personal healing. Clients have relied on my devotion, warmth, insights and authentic presence to hold them in a safe, sacred space. Through a collaborative exploration, we explore the thoughts, feelings, belief systems that are at the root of life-long patterns. Awareness of these patterns is crucial. However, lasting change requires more than insight. We need to directly experience and release the underlying energies and wounds that block your life force, so you can live and express your authentic gifts.

In our world of quick fixes and self-help guides, many of us still feel disconnected and longing for a deeper experience of self. Psychoanalytic psychotherapy offers the opportunity to explore your early relationships and old patterns that may be effecting your ability to feel the vibrance and creativity in your life. I focus on the uniqueness of each psychotherapeutic relationship to explore potential blind spots and areas that have been difficult for you to unravel. I work in a warm and engaging way to assist you in the depths of your self-exploration.

I work with children, adolescents, and adults, providing individual, couples, and family therapy, play therapy, and parenting consultation. If you're looking for a safe and supportive place in which to explore your concerns, I offer careful listening and collaborative engagement in the service of working toward your goals. People seek psychotherapy for many reasons. Some want help with specific problems such as depression, relationship conflict, or concern about a child. Others feel stuck in problematic patterns that cause emotional distress, interfere with their ability to connect with others, or hinder their ability to find fulfillment in life.

My style of working is thoughtful and direct. I am committed to helping people discover and enhance their emotional capacity in order to create more satisfying lives. Through the transformative experience of being deeply understood by another in an authentic, safe and honest relationship, people can transform destructive patterns into more satisfying expressions of self.

I work with highly sensitive people to explore their identity and the impact of past experiences on their lives in order to find freedom moving forward with intention. My clients are artists and empaths. Many are healing from trauma, abuse, and addiction. In addition to my work with individuals, I help couples honor their differences, create shared understanding, rekindle intimacy, improve their communication skills, and find clarity about how they want to move forward in their relationship, whether that means separating or renewing their commitment to one another.

I offer affordable, quality therapy for those yearning to identify and change dysfunctional thinking, behavior, and emotional responses. Life is stressful enough, that the additional financial cost of therapy should not increase that stress. I believe in offering a sliding scale to those that actively want to change their lives. My training uses a Psychodynamic approach (self awareness of how you feel immobilized) and integrates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with Strength based interventions. This means we work collaboratively, in order to actively change negative thought processes, into patterns that elevate your life rather than hinder your true potential. office locations: MV& Novato.

My objective is to make your life better now and into the future. Therapists helped me over the years, taught and inspired me to become one. I pivoted to my career as a therapist 16 years after earning a B.A. in Economics at University of Chicago. I earned my LCSW at Smith College. I'm a mother of two and a first-generation child of immigrants. In my practice I want you to make the most of your time with me. I work with a range of clients, from executives to college students. My office is tucked into hills and trees. Clients are from my town, Mill Valley, Sausalito, Kentfield, Tiburon, San Francisco and the South Bay. I Zoom too.

I combine LENS Neurofeedback with ancient wisdom, warmth and caring. Are you longing for someone positive to talk to who cares and understands? Someone who has experience with anxiety, ADHD, head trauma, PTSD, depression and finding your place in life and love? I can hold your issues and teach you mindfulness which brings happiness and relief. Days, evenings, some insurance.

I’ve been working with people and their relationship to relationship for 20 years in corporate settings and now in a therapeutic context in Mill Valley. Whether you’re single or in a committed partnership, I can help you look at the positive qualities you bring as well as the challenges you might be having during this complex time. If you find yourself wondering, “What can I do better to bring more connection to my relationship?”…

Welcome! Taking the first step towards getting help is not always easy and I am here to make that transition as clear and safe as possible. My specialties include eating disorders, body image, depression and anxiety. You will find I provide a warm, compassionate, down-to-earth environment where together we will work towards developing insight and awareness into the roots of the behaviors, beliefs and patterns that are holding you back from reaching your fullest potential and living the life that you want.

In my work as an executive coach and psychologist I help clients achieve what they want to reach their full potential. My clients are intelligent, successful executives who value the chance to discuss issues they can’t reveal to others. I help them optimize work performance, communication, accurate self- and other-awareness and personal/professional fulfillment. Through our work, clients have been able to resolve challenging situations, build productive relationships, learn new ways to respond, and master complicated emotions and stress.

When we talk about our feelings, they become less overwhelming, less upsetting, and less scary. At some time in our lives, each of us may feel overwhelmed and need help dealing with life circumstances that lead to depression and/or anxiety. Problems with relationships, loss of a job, family issues, death of a loved one, can at times be debilitating and knock you off your game and make it hard to enjoy life. Psychotherapy can help you address your symptoms in a more permanent long-lasting way. It gives people a designated space and context in which to delve into difficult issues and then leave safely, without wounds exposed.

My ideal client would be someone is interested to improve his/her thinking, emotional state and general functioning. My ideal client would also be someone who is open and motivated for change and to become the best version him/herself them/themselves.

Talking to someone who truly listens can be life-changing. You may have clear ideas about what is troubling you or a general sense that things could be better. I work well with people who are motivated to to deepen self-understanding. My approach is collaborative, exploring new ways of thinking while attending to underlying feelings. Working together, you can gain more freedom in your life and have more satisfaction in areas of self-esteem, relationships, work and play.

Life presents us with emotional challenges, which can deeply affect us. It might be the death of someone we dearly love; a loved one's life-threatening diagnosis; marital issues; a painful divorce; an emotionally-challenging late-in life “gray divorce.” You may be feeling sad, lonely, scared, betrayed, or not wanting to face another day. You could be the parent of a child having difficult feelings, or who is resisting seeing one of his/her parents. These times challenge you at your deepest core when you are the most vulnerable, and can make life feel too hard to bear.

Seeking help takes courage & thoughtfulness. You may feel old difficulties have resurfaced or painful events keep reoccurring despite your best efforts to make things better. You may feel frustrated that you are at a place where things improve for a short time but don't stay stable or good for long. Perhaps life has changed for you in unexpected ways and now there is less peace, less joy and more heartache or confusion. Persistent, intense feelings inside yourself or with your partner/spouse/child/family may be too much to bear. An experienced, supportive, well-trained psychologist like myself,can make make an enormous difference.

I believe that emphasizing the individual's strengths make for a powerful tool for positive change. Having over 18 years experience working in varying school capacities, including therapist, teacher, parent coach, athletic director and parent volunteer, I am well versed in understanding how teens can struggle in their school settings and the rigors of parenting them. My goal is to cultivate resiliency and the maintenance of emotional wellness in the individuals and the families I serve.

If you are reading this now, you may be struggling with feelings or experiences that have become hard to bear and even understand. You may feel alone and as though no one seems to really get what you are going through. It may be some immediate situation or transition in life that feels extra hard to navigate, or some long-standing grief or pattern in relationships that seems to have a hold on you. You may have symptoms such as anxiety or depression, perhaps with less than optimal means of coping. Psychotherapy can help you understand and change.

The Chinese character for crisis consists of the words 'emergency' and 'opportunity.' Difficulties in life end up being the greatest gift, if you grow from them. Therapy is helpful in resolving general concerns and specific challenges. I work with clients who are ready for change. I support people to move out of depression, anxiety, anger/emotional instability, and issues in intimate relationships. I am trained extensively to work with trauma, which underlies most conditions. My approach is warm and direct.